Iconic LA sites, 200 schools on list of quake-vulnerable buildings

The Capitol Records building is seen in August beyond a vacant lot that is near what geologists describe as an escarpment, an uplifting of land that may indicate the presence of an earthquake fault.

By Patrick Healy and Christina Cocca, NBC Los Angeles

Days after the NBC4 I-Team analyzed data that revealed nearly 1,500 older concrete buildings in Los Angeles may be potentially vulnerable in a major earthquake, the University of California released the names and addresses of the structures in question -- including some of LA's most iconic buildings, the Los Angeles Times reports.

These structures may not have adequate reinforcement to survive a significant quake, and engineers identified the buildings that they believe deserve a closer look to determine if they are vulnerable to temblors.

Some of the now-public addresses make up a few of LA's iconic landmarks, including Capitol Records Tower, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and TCL Chinese Theatre (formerly Grauman's Chinese Theatre).

Officials mulled the decision on whether to make the addresses public and stressed the importance of realizing the list is not meant to scare residents but to explain that many buildings need more examination.

"I have a concern and the researchers on my team that people could become unduly alarmed and take a course of action that is really not warranted by this database,” said Jack Moehle, Ph.D, an engineering professor at UC Berkeley.

Researched released the list to city officials and to the LA Times in response to a public records request.

Moehle and his team found 1,454 concrete buildings in Los Angeles that may be inadequately reinforced. On the list are dozens of churches, offices, residential buildings, theaters, and schools. Though the number first reported was 1,454, the LA Times list shows 1,451 results.

But Moehle said there’s a significant caveat when it comes to his data.

"Some of these buildings are perfectly safe in their current condition, some of them may already have been retrofitted, but there will be some within this inventory of buildings that are likely to be judged as vulnerable," he said.

The list of potentially vulnerable buildings includes more than 200 commercial buildings, more than 200 schools, more than 100 residential buildings, and dozens of churches, hotels, hospitals, theaters and malls.

Data analyzed by the NBC4 I-Team finds that the maximum potential occupancy of those buildings is nearly half a million people.

Renewed attention is being put on concrete buildings without more steel reinforcement than was thought necessary when they were built.

Quake shaking can cause vertical supports to fall, and when that happens, the building collapses into rubble and casualties are almost a certainty, Moehle said.

Determining the risk level in LA will require individual engineering inspections yet to be done. Scientists stressed to the LA Times the list may not be 100 percent accurate and that they have not reached conclusions about the hazards posed by the listed structures.

Last fall, some prominent buildings, including Capital Tower and Pantages Theater, were identified in a survey by the Los Angeles Times as vulnerable to quakes. Last week, the LA City Council supported pursuing the resources to perform inspections of potentially at-risk buildings, but as of now, there’s no plan or funding in place.

"I would hope that some action would be forthcoming," Moehle said. "It is a real opportunity to make a difference for seismic safety."